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28 maggio In search of 21st Century driving nirvana“There’s no point having a sports car any more”. So say many people old enough to remember whatever they deem to be ‘the good old days’. And the opinion from those who aren’t mourning motoring’s heyday with rose tinted nostalgia is often even worse. Buy a sports car and environmentalists think you’re killing the planet, road safety campaigners think you’re killing everyone on it and many of the remainder will think you’re simply being a bit flash. It’s certainly true to say that there’s less opportunity to exploit a car’s potential on the roads than there once was. The number of vehicles in the UK has doubled in the last thirty years and so it seems has the number of cardigan-wearers who choose to do precisely 38mph in front of you down your favourite B-road.
There's also the small matter of policing. In the past a member of her majesty’s constabulary would see a motorist 'pressing on' and make an informed judgement on whether or not they were going too fast. These days a camera on a pole indiscriminately snaps away at your number plate, calculating the exact number of orphans your actions have killed, right down to the last decimal point. Does this mean the doomsayers are correct then? Well, I believe not. If you take a little time to explore there are still places where driving can be both safe and fun. I'm not talking about making a run for the Alps or the Scottish Highlands either – driving nirvana may be a lot closer than you think… My investigations started at 7pm on the outskirts of an unassuming North London suburb. Not only is this typical of the sort commuter-belt territory that many of us live in these days, but it’s actually within the confines of the M25. It’s an area more commonly occupied by city cars and urban SUVs, however my choice of transport for this jaunt was a TVR S3.
After departing on a single carriageway A-road, I reached the edge of town in minutes. As the de-restriction sign loomed it was hard to resist the temptation for a gratuitous down change, but with temperature gauge still creeping up, mechanical sympathy intervened. Nonetheless, I was soon out onto the ridge that divides the tip of London from rural Hertfordshire. All that remained was to negotiate Potters Bar, making one last pass through suburbia, before the real fun began. I took the B158 out towards Essendon. It was a decision that paid off instantly - the road darts through the trees, with some interesting corners, linked by a series of short straights. It’s quite wide and the surface was reasonably good, allowing the TVR to really open its lungs for the first time.
After passing through Essendon, I followed the road onwards. It starts to open out somewhat, as the trees and sudden changes of direction giving way to hedgerows and sweeping bends. It may only be fifteen minutes from the edge of London, but it feels like a world away – a feeling that was confirmed as I entered the county town of Hertford. From there I cut across country to Welwyn and the start of the B656 – a road well known to the local bikers. It sweeps its way through the countryside with a great mix of slow and medium speed corners. The visibility is good, but there are few overtaking opportunities. Fortunately the only other car in sight was a Honda S2000 being driven with like-minded enthusiasm. We swept along in a rapid convoy for several miles with the Honda’s VTEC scream and the TVR’s six-cylinder growl bouncing off the hedgerows, before he gave a friendly wave and headed off down a side turning.
I, meanwhile, carried on through Hitchin and onto the B655. It’s another fantastic road, but one which requires some care, with the occasional blind crest and a few sharp corners thrown in. The TVR was in its element, with the torquey engine and throttle-adjustable chassis working well. It’s a classic British recipe that seemed ideal for the quaint surroundings, but in truth anything with four wheels would have done. After a blinding final section, I approached Barton Le Clay and the car popped and banged its way back into a 30mph limit. I pulled over and took the opportunity to glance at a map. There was no clear way to turn it into a circular route, but that didn’t matter to me… After the last few miles, I was more than happy to retrace my steps and go home along the same roads.
As I got back, with dead flies plastered over the front of the car, the answer to my earlier question became abundantly clear. At no point had I been more than about thirty minutes away from the edge of the UK’s largest city and yet I’d been able to enjoy some fantastic driving roads, virtually unimpeded by traffic, speed cameras and the other perceived woes of 21st century motoring. It may have not quite reached the state of motoring nirvana, but it shows just how much driving has left to offer, even in the heart of the South East.
By Chris Pickering, guest blogger
Why people hate 4x4 driversTom E writes: 4x4 owners often moan about the fact that their public image is... not necessarily to their advantage. Most of the vitriol is saved for school run luxo-SUVs like the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5, but this photo below from a busy Tesco car park in Essex shows that even drivers of 'respectable' 4x4s like this old Rangey still do not much to improve their image...
27 maggio "At 240km/h the wheels started spinning"
Dan Trent writes: Meet Claus, from the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Stuttgart. He was on the Polish rally with his colleague Janus to look after the half dozen cars from the collection brought along for journalists to drive.
Meeting someone like Claus is one of the great pleasures of the job. Always friendly he's modest in the extreme - "I am just a mechanic" seemingly his catchphrase. But he isn't. Because he also drives the cars at demonstrations and events, ranging from some of the priceless 'Silver Arrow' racers from the 1930s to modern day DTM cars.
Over dinner he was talking of driving the fearsome Mercedes W125 racing car around a certain German race track you may have heard me mention here once or twice before. Now this car may date from 1937 but it's an absolute beast, with well over 600bhp, a centre throttle and - back in the day - close to 200mph potential. On little more than bicycle tyres.
These things are not only insane, they're also worth millions. So Claus must be considered a pretty safe pair of hands to be chucked the keys for a lap of the Nordschleife for German TV. And although he was keeping it on a pretty tight leash its performance was still shocking. "I was on the main straight," he was telling me, "and I was doing about 240km/h [about 140mph] and when the revs went over about 3,200 the back wheels were spinning and leaving smoke." Incredible! All in a day's work for Claus though. "Just a mechanic" indeed. Dan
Video: A classic film all about driving the W125 on the Nurburgring - stunning stuff!
Maserati pleasuresPeter Burgess writes: The GranTurismo was delivered early on Friday morning and I couldn’t wait to get into it. I didn’t manage it until 1230 and I was immediately bowled over by this new luxury GT. My mind wondered over the possibilities of Maserati ownership.
Top Marques lists plenty of the beautiful 3200GT for under £20k, some for less than £15k. I could chop my 911 in and experience much newer Italian exotica. And how better to get more info than by dropping into Bill McGrath Ltd, in nearby Kimpton?
These guys are generally reckoned to be the leading Maserati restorers in the UK and have been in their unlikely non-descript factory units in a sleepy Hertfordshire village for decades. And it was sleepy when I got there, just a Khamsin parked outside and rather ghostly inside.
Bizzarrini But what a treasure trove of classics Italian cars! A massively rare 5000GT, Bora, Barchetta, a pretty little Osca, a Bizzarrini and a dozen others. Many are under wraps awaiting the slot for work to being. By then a mechanic had appeared and delighted in showing me around.
Osca As I was leaving he caught sight of my GranTurismo outside and called down the rest of the guys from their lunch break. No one had seen the new car close up so we all poured over it. I was surprised at the level of excitement – this must be one of the cheapest cars within a 50-yard radius.
Khasmin Managing Director Andy Heywood then gave me the low down on owning a 3200GT. The auto gearbox is the one to go for, because, as problematic as it is, it isn’t nearly as awful as the manual transmission on the 3200GT. But the running costs are the really scary bit. Do 10,000 miles a year and you might reckon on £6k in maintenance! The suspension bushes simply wear out and that means new wishbones at £400 a pop because Maserati don’t sell the bushes separately. You can look after a 911 of similar vintage for a quarter of that if you are lucky; for now I’ll stick with the Porsche, thank you.
PS. Stopped at my local on Saturday and when I came out there was a drop top Maser 4200 parked alongside! --- Links: First Drive: Maserati GranTurismo (2008 onwards model)
26 maggio Classic rallying - Mercedes styleDan Trent writes: Here's a short video clip from Poland aboard the Mercedes Fintail rally car - prize winning Mercedes Fintail rally car no less! Dan
Up for the cup
Dan Trent writes: So Saturday was concours day on the Polish Mercedes rally I've been attending. And unfortunately a persistent downpour cast a shadow over what would otherwise have been an idyllic day hanging out with the ever hospitable Poles. Credit to them, they didn't let the rain spoil their day too much though, points apparently being awarded for presentation of both car AND crew. Cue lots of fancy dress costumes, some funny, some just downright weird but all carried off with a big grin and lots of enthusiasm.
In my last post I included a picture of the 1960s Mercedes rally team sporting some spectacularly high waisted strides. Unable to source anything similar when handed the mic I shared some of the anecdotes gained from my chat with Dieter Glemser, who drove a similar Mercedes to the one I was in to victory here 45 years ago.
It must have gone down well because at that evening's presentation I was announced as the winner of my category and presented with an outrageously ostentatious cup. Getting it into my suitcase was a squeeze but I'm honoured to have been picked out as a winner, not to mention a little embarrassed considering it wasn't even my car!
If I'd been giving out prizes I think mine would have gone to Italian journo Massimo Delbo who was not phased at all by the torrential conditions and the fact the only weather protection the racy little 190SLR he was driving consisted of two small aero screens.
He simply dug out a set of sailing overalls, a hat and some goggles and lived up to national stereotype by hacking around at terrific speed, making lots of noise and grinning broadly. I hardly saw him out of the car and his delight in driving it was infectious, with a steady stream of volunteers stepping forward for an extremely invigorating soaking. Good man! Dan
24 maggio Fun in a Fintail Merc
Dan Trent writes: So, day one of the rally is complete and here are the first photographic spoils. This is our 220SEb 'Fintail' rally car in action on the Polish roads. Doesn't look like a likely champion but it actually goes pretty well and, as I wrote before, was a winner here 45 years ago. This car is not original but has been beautifully prepared, with a fully stripped and caged interior, harnesses and a ton of rally timing gear neither myself or co driver Nick have any idea how to operate. Still, it's got a spectacular fanfare horn which we've been making the most of at every opportunity.
We're in the Mazurian region in the north east of Poland and, unlike much of the country, the roads are pleasingly twisty and undulating. And plenty challenging in the Fintail which rides higher than most modern SUVs and has distinctly old school limits. But it's huge fun and has a superb engine note, even if its low gearing mean it runs out of puff at about 80mph. Today's proceedings are a little more sedate, with concours show in a local town. Points are awarded for both the presentation of the car and the crew, so I've been seeking inspiration from some of the pictures I've downloaded from the Mercedes archive. The chap in the centre of the picture above with the dark hair is Dieter Glemser, together with his team mates from the Mercedes rally squad. Looks like I need to hitch my trousers up and I'll be halfway there!
And here is the Fintail on our lunchstop yesterday, surrounded by some of the other participants. More to follow soon! Dan
23 maggio A chance to drive every car in the UK at SMMT
Thursday was SMMT day 2008. Every year, the motor industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers hosts a great event for the UK motoring press at Millbrook, the world famous test circuit in Bedfordshire. Although owned by General Motors, car makers from around the world bring their new cars to the centre to test it on its variety of mostly challenging roads designed to mimic to a greater extreme road conditions from around the world, including a City route, a very challenging and popular Hill Route, with sharp up and down hills, camber changes and oh-my-gawd I can’t see what’s on the other side drops akin to roller-coasters. And of course Millbrook’s famous oval circuit, where many speed records have been set over the years. The majority of car firms operating in the UK attend and bring most of their cars, especially their newer and flashier ones. These are obviously most in demand, whereas second division makes and cars tend not to get much of a look-in, and I occasionally felt a bit sorry for them; as Rob Halloway of Mercedes pointed out, happiness at SMMT is an empty forecourt (i.e. journos. are out driving them all).
The routes are all patrolled by marshals armed with flags and radios, and they can and will berate you as much as any traffic cop if they feel the need be – and take your Millbrook licence away which means premature going home time. One chap I know was given a stern warning up for going airborne in a Brera S, while I heard another bloke did actually get banned for going a bit overboard in the Audi RS6, the bonkers £80,000 580hp super-saloon.
Nick Mason Nick Mason the petrolhead of Pink Floyd fame was there, fulfilling a long held ambition of his, now fulfillable since he is president of the Guild of Motoring Writers (GOMW), the motor journalists’ “official” body. He was being escorted around by Chris Wright, GOMW chairman, and his daughter Ellie, a PR officer for Volvo. Later on I spied Nick in a very tasty looking black Alfa Romeo 8C, a car unavailable even on the Alfa stand. Stars of the show Stars of the show? Well, probably the Jaguar XF, which was in great demand all day. The Audi R8 was still booked solid all day, and the RS6 was in much demand too. All this despite the fact that the rocketing oil price was perhaps the biggest theme of the day, with both press and car makers wondering aloud where it would all end. General consensus was the you’d have to be a very brave man indeed to buy a thirsty petrol engined car today, however rich you are, and on that basis cars like the RS6 will more resemble a museum curio than anything else; much more sensible seem cars like the BMW 635d (see below), which will do 40mpg, 199 g of CO2, and over 600 miles on a tank if you’re lucky. BMW’s range of powerful yet highly economical engines couldn’t really come at a better time for them and remind us of a winning maxim in these difficult times: going green can still be fun. I like this picture of Mark Harrison (left) (of BMW) with Robin Davies (of Audi) – who had stands next to each other, suitably enough perhaps.
Those nice ladies from Volvo (L-to-R: Kelly Day, Andrea Baker, Ellie Wright) looking very natty in their Ocean Race waterproofs:
Skoda’s Yuen-Yu Lau shows me around the Roomster:
MSN Cars contributor Richard Dredge of Arabia takes tea:
I drove 15 cars in total and here in alphabetical order is my brief view on them all: Alfa Romeo Brera S 2.2: Now tuned by Prodrive, this new car is much better and somewhat lighter than the old one and feels much more complete – and is miles better than the frankly dreadful Spider convertible. Audi RS6 £80k 580hp bonkers estate. Undeniably fun, but far too fast and thirsty for UK roads BMW 635d Sweet £55k coupe with a 280hp twin turbo diesel. Economical and smooth – the future of GT motoring. BMW X6 Handling that defies the laws of physics, I enjoyed sharing a drive with Car Enthusiast’s Shane O’Donaghue, who is a key supplier of stories to another internet company that a certain other software company may or may not have been trying to buy recently. We both confirmed the X6 to be a brilliant car, although we couldn’t for the life us think of why anyone would buy it – although we have no doubt they will. Ford Kuga
New baby SUV. Drove reasonably enough, but left me fairly unmoved. Ford Mondeo Estate
Never driven a new Mondeo before so I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I can see now – a nice comfortable drive, with a quality interior - and looks good too. Ford Focus ST Another car I have somehow never driven until now. Bags of power from its turbocharged 5-pot, it’s a hoot. Honda Accord Tourer
New good looking entry into this crowded – and rejuvenated – medium sector. Nice interior, nice drive – I’m looking forward to getting to know this car better when we get one in long term later in the year. Jaguar XF
My first drive – and it is good. I drove the 4.2 normal, which was good enough though if you’re going to go the big petrol route you may as well get the supercharged version. Nice interior, and I liked the round dial autobox gearchange. But it desperately needs a more powerful diesel other than the rather weedy 208hp 2.7 V6. Kia pro_cee’d
Silly name aside, I liked this coupe, and looked great especially in this fetching white. Nissan 350Z I’ve been meaning to drive this for ages – and what a lovely motor it is. Agile, quick – everything a Japanese sports car should be. Saab 9-3 Aero TTid convertible Economical it may be (48mpg anyone?), but with its 4,500 rpm redline, it left me rather cold. I wanted to scream it about like any self-respecting ragtop – but not possible in this car. Skoda Estate Greenline 1.4 TDi
With oil prices nudging $135 a barrel, by right this car should have been the most popular of the lot – but the Skoda PRs were surprised that the hacks ignored it; so I had to oblige. I was pleasantly surprised – 80hp, enough space for a family, went along decently enough at 80mph, does 69mpg combined with 109 g/Cos – and yours for just £13k. Skoda Roomster Scout
I’m getting the normal Roomster in over the summer, which I’m rather looking forward to. An ingenious little car, how will it measure up to our outgoing V70…? Volvo V70 2.0d Volvo’s response to rocketing fuel prices, the new 136hp engine may not have much oomph but has much better economy then its 5-cylinder units. Still comfortable, still safe I quite liked it. Aimed at fleets, I can actually see it becoming popular with many frugal families too. And thence back down the M1 in our trusty Skoda Fabia. Not too painful - but when are they going to finish that flaming motorway? it's getting really boring now, and seems to have taken about six years. Tom
22 maggio Greetings from Poland!
Picture: Daimler AG Dan Trent writes: Just a quick hullo from Warsaw, where the traffic is bad enough to have me misty eyed about my daily grind through the Blackwall Tunnel. Man, there's congestion and there's congestion. Anyway, I'm still in a good mood because I'm here to join the Polish Mercedes club for its annual rally. My previous life on a Mercedes magazine means it's an event I've done twice before and it will be nice to meet up with old friends we've made on the previous trips. My car is coming from the Mercedes Classic collection in Stuttgart and this time I'll be in a proper rally car - a 220SEb 'Fintail' like the one above. Now there's some neat symmetry here because the pictures here are from the Polish Rally in 1963, which was won by Mercedes driver Dieter Glemser in a very similar car to the one I'll be driving. Picture: Daimler AG This event won't be competitive but it's always nice to follow in the footsteps of such a victory and I'll be working hard to maintain the Fintail's honour. Watch this space for further updates... Dan
Audi A4 1.8T: diesel is dead?cj hubbard writes:
To be perfectly honest with you, I haven't been a massive fan of the new Audi A4/A5 platform. Until now. Problems include over-light steering, weird floaty body control (particularly unnerving in the S5), and a bit of fuss about the pedals being offset way to the right in right-hand drive cars. Meaning you end up sitting with your spine in a twisted position. Not ideal for a business chariot. However, a bright silver Audi A4 1.8T arrived in our car park yesterday, and already it's changing my mind. First of all the steering. I clearly need to check with the press office about what's going on here, but this petrol engined car is much, much more firmly assisted than any other version I've driven. Either: I'm missing some sort of selectable steering assistance function - and I have looked, in both the MMI Car setup menu (yes, it really has one) AND the manual (always a last resort for a male motoring journalist); the petrol engines have a different parameters - excepting the S5, everything else we've had in has had a diesel engine; it's broken; or Audi have actually altered the assistance for UK cars. This is an 08 reg car - early press fleet vehicles featured a strange hybrid specification that wasn't entirely available in the UK. So I'm told. Anyways, the point is this A4 is far sweeter to drive as a direct result of its meatier assistance. Although it does mean you can't easily palm it around the place at parking speeds. More on this when I've had the chance to speak to someone at Audi.
Steering is a matter of personal taste, I suppose. The second revelatory thing about this particular A4 is the engine. It's got one of the Volkswagen group's new generation of turbocharged petrols. And these are all absolute gems. The 1.4T powers the best version of the Audi A3 bar none in my opinion - and that includes the S3 super-hatch. It's also good in the VW Eos. The 1.8T under the bonnet here is being slotted into an entry-level Audi TT arriving early next year - I drove this on the TTS launch, and it stands a chance of not only being the cheapest TT but also the very best of the bunch. But more on this another time. In the A4, the most immediately impressive thing about it is the economy. This car turned up with the fuel gauge needle just under full - and it hasn't moved since. I took the above picture just after I arrived at the airport this morning (off to Berlin for the Merc A- and B-Class midlife), after having done a bunch of short urban journeys yesterday and last night, and a 50 mile stretch of stop-start moving motorway. The primary trip computer reset itself overnight, but shortly after I set off this morning it was reckoning the range was 400 miles. When I check it again when I got here, this had gone up to 405. There is an element of the electronics sorting themselves out about that, and once you notice the fuel gauge isn't moving you start getting obsessed with keeping it that way. But for a turbocharged petrol engine it is still bloody impressive.
What's more, with 158bhp and a decent spread of turbo torque the 1.8T is quick enough when you want it to be, sounds good with your foot down, and is incredibly refined when you're cruising. According the trip computer I'm currently returning 38.6mpg, in real world driving. That's remarkably close to the official 39.8mpg figure - something that basically never happens. I haven't done the maths. But given the price difference between petrol and diesel these days - both on the forecourt and at the dealership - this, with its petrol-pleasant driving performance (and improved steering?), has got to be as close to a diesel-killer as you can currently get. Ironic, perhaps, given Audi's current commitment to pushing its TDI products... --- Links: Audi TT TDI (2008 onwards model)
21 maggio Audi S3 bun fightPeter Burgess writes:
I have just got back after a mad day in Munich trying to drive all the new versions of the Audi A3, and be back at Stansted for 6pm. It meant a 5.30 alarm call to be at the airport for a 7.45am departure. Being an Audi trip, it was all very slick. As soon as we got to Munich airport there was a five-minute presentation and then we were into the cars and off on a 100km route to a disused power station that the company had taken over as a launch venue.
Everyone wanted to get in the S3, which is new in 5-door Sportback form, but there were only two examples for the Brits and, whisper it, just one for the Germans. We loitered quite a lot and snatched one as it came back from a run before anyone else could get their hands on it. You can see from the video cameraman that it was much in demand but this time the arty guys were realistic about their demands and, by 3pm, we’d all managed a go, albeit a brief one. Full first drive details up in a day or two. --- Links: Alfa Romeo Brera S revealed to all
20 maggio Clio on track - the videos!
Dan Trent writes: Well, in the last two weeks its been around the Nurburgring, Spa Francorchamps and, last Friday, Bedford Autodrome. And the verdict? Well, you'll have to check by soon for the next installment of my long term report but in the meantime here are a couple of videos which should reveal plenty.
The first is from Spa, following Performance Car deputy editor Chris Knapman in his long term Clio Cup, sans spoiler. I'd say his subsequent lack of downforce explains why he runs wide at Pouhon while my excuse is for doing the same a couple of corners earlier is remains to be decided... We were pushing quite hard though!
And here's another video, this time from the Renaultsport day at Bedford Autodrome last week. This is me attempting to learn a bit of lift-off oversteer/Scandinavian flicking. The results were ... varied but we got there in the end.
There's no rest for the wicked, with another trackday at Brands Hatch coming up in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more! Dan
Links: On the road to the 'ring and Spa Find out about Renaultsport trackdays here
Pure Highway, pure blissRichard Aucock writes: Radio can be shocking sometimes. How many times are you stuck with nothing to listen to? Screeching pop tunes, an hour-long show on badgers, The Archers, Steve Wright’s Sunday Love Songs… too many times, I’ve gone for the off button, with an arm-flailing ferocity enough to give me shoulder-lash (if such a complaint exists). But not anymore.
For now, I have DAB. No, I haven’t junked the long-term Peugeot’s half-decent stereo. I have, instead, installed one of Pure’s Highway digital radio receivers. And doing so was easier than, well, turning off Steve Wright.
The £60 kit consists of a sticky aerial for the windscreen, a 12v charger, a holster for the windscreen, and the unit itself. Good-looking, simple and illuminated in night-time green, it isn’t as classily-finished as Pure’s other in-home kit, but nevertheless, doesn’t jar the Golf-bashing dash of the 308.
Emptying out a bundle of wires, my first job was to stick on the aerial.
I chose (after debating for longer than it actually took to fit the thing) the windscreen, passenger side so it wouldn't irritate my field of view. The cable was long enough.
Then, jam the holster onto the windscreen, using the sat nav-style suction socket.
Then, err, connect the magnetically located receiver, plug in the 12V power and aerial socket… and that’s installation complete (safe for some wire-tidying. Oh, and deciding to utilise the 308’s massive glass roof, by repositioning the aerial there. Still can’t decide if I like it there…). My mug of tea hadn’t even got cold.
The Highway works by transmitting a short-range FM signal to your stereo, using a ‘free’ FM channel. Waiting for a minute or two after turning it on, while it booted up for the first time, I then tuned both car and transmitter into 107.9FM.
Would you believe, a second or so later, there was Radio 5 Live, in crystal-clear DAB stereo. Amazing! I excitedly tried 6 Music, XFM, BBC Sports Xtra… all blipped up immediately, with none of the digital static DAB sometimes suffers.
This was great. But the proof would be when I moved. So, a few-mile drive to see how it fared. Result? Indeed it was. Didn’t cut out once.
And, a month or so on, it remains brilliant. Long trips, always the test for these FM-style transmission systems are no problem at all. Only around High Wycombe on the M40 does it struggle, and that’s due to patchy DAB signal, not a problem with the system itself. On the M1, the M6, most of the M40 and the M25, coverage is blinding. That’s me sorted, then. Overall? I already can’t imagine being without it… the end of dreadful radio! Richard
Links:
19 maggio Alfa Romeo Brera S revealed to allcj hubbard writes from the Alfa Romeo Brera S launch: So, still wondering what was under that flag? Here you go.
That's David Richards, boss of Prodrive, on the far right there. He's grinning, but will Alfa be grinning after we've driven the Brera S and its Prodrive fettled chassis tomorrow?
Looks good in this deep metallic red, doesn't it? And so it should - that's Alfa "8C" red, the very colour the 8C Competizione supercar launched in. It's now available as an optional extra on any Alfa. Any Alfa... For 10,000 Euros. Ten thousand Euros. That's around £7,961 at current exchange rates. For a paint job. Having said that, it is a four stage paint. And any Alfa that is lucky enough to get it is assembled, shipped to the people who make the 8C on Alfa Romeo's behalf, taken apart, painted 8C red, and re-assembled. God knows what that does for squeaks and rattles, but the colour does look very, very good. --- Links:
Note to manufacturerscj hubbard writes from the Alfa Romeo Brera S launch: Note to manufacturers. If you are going to go to the trouble of covering your new car ahead of revealing it in full later in the day...
(Nice Italy meets UK motif in the modified flag, eh? Let's just hope the Scottish journalists don't see it...) ...try not to have an uncovered car sitting round the corner in the car park.
Yep. So that's the new Alfa Romeo Brera S, folks. I think the anthracite wheels are only optional, however.
Since to be fair to Alfa, it did actually have a full press pack waiting in the hotel room for us.
And, of course, it does look just like any other Brera.
Special badges...
...and seatbacks excepted. Nothing else to report from the Brera S launch as yet. Aside from the fact that Henry's classic Alfa is also in the car park (I'll post a picture of this later, if he'll let me), and that the bathroom sink has the coolest plug I've ever seen. But then, I am generally quite easily pleased. Got to go - late for pre-presentation drinkies. 'Eck. --- Links: Royal treatment in the new Skoda Superb
The future of green motoringIan writes... You can forget electric cars and hydrogen cells as the power of the future. Deemed as too expensive for large scale production, electric cars also have a poor range, while hydrogen is the least dense of the elements and therefore can't supply the same energy content as the equivalent amount of petrol. However, we won't be relegated to the horse and cart in the future. Speaking with a powertrain expert at Lotus the other day, I can conclude that not only is the future bright, it looks like it's going to be more fun too.
Ian, left, talks to Lotus expert Richard Pearson
I was speaking to Richard Pearson, who showed me around the company's new Exige 270E Tri-Fuel concept, which runs on either regular gasoline, ethanol or methanol - that's alcohol to you and me. So what's the advantage of this?
First of all, ethanol and methanol produce less carbon dioxide than petrol and diesel, so it's better for the environment. These fuels can also be made from renewable sources and even CO2, so we would no longer be dependent on fossil fuels (indeed, we would be taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to produce these fuels), the conversion to enable your car to run on methanol can also be made inexpensively. The result is slightly reduced fuel consumption, but a small gain in power. Sounds like a win-win situation to me.
Pearson was also sceptical about the future of diesel if methanol turns out to be more than just a prototype fuel at this stage. "High efficiency alcohol engines ultimately remove the need for diesel engines." Pearson suggests that by 2010 flex fuels such as methanol will be mandatory, with fossil fuels gradually being phased out by 2040. The main problem holding back methanol at present is the infrastructure - more pumps are needed in the UK. We've been driving the Tri-Fuel Exige around Lotus' tough test track to see if the future is as exciting as it looks - so look out for a first drive coming soon...
Caught by the fuzz ... again!
Dan Trent writes: This time it was a chavved up Peugeot 106, complete with Lexus-style rear lights, blacked out windows and slack-jawed, baseball-capped driver. Who decided undertaking a truck on the M1 by using the hard shoulder was a good idea. Only it wasn't. And definitely not in front of a police car, this time an unusually metallic orange Audi A6. It was a spectacularly idiotic thing to do but he certainly brightened up the drudgery of a Friday afternoon crawl up the M1 for a whole lot of people. I'll bet the officers in the police car will have permitted themselves a wee smirk at that one too. Before throwing the book at him. Dan
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Ford SportKa: MOT, or not MOT?cj hubbard writes: So the Ford SportKa had its first MOT on Friday. And did it pass?
Well, yes. But not without first having the headlights adjusted. So whether we chalk that one up as a fail for the statistics people, I don’t know… The SportKa also got treated to a service while it was in. And thankfully the extortionate main dealer pricing I fully expected didn’t materialise. Although 50 quid plus for an MOT strikes me as being a little cheeky, the £99 value service – which includes the rear drums (yes, my car has drum brakes on the back – cutting edge or what?) – seemed decent value. Add a full set of sparkplugs to that, and the total bill was around the reasonable £160 mark. Good job I remembered to check the service book had been stamped, however. It hadn’t. But getting this sorted did cause me to notice the SportKa has only done 1,000 miles since its last run through the garage. It’s an easy life being the ‘other car’, isn’t it?
Incidentally, my Dad (Hi Dad!) points out that the part-filled tank technique I mentioned last time may not be the smartest of moves. Although I do it to avoid having too much expensive juice going to waste as the octane rating dies off (Lucas Oils, and probably others, does offer a fuel stabiliser additive to prevent this), if you are storing a car for a lengthy period of time, it may be better to brim it. This apparently helps prevent condensation from building up in the fuel tank, which could lead to all sorts of interesting issues... If anyone has any further info regarding this matter, drop us a line or let us know in the comments below. --- Links: Ford SportKa: MOT for the first time IAM Motoring Trust: One in five cars fails its first MOT
16 maggio Clio on the Karusell
Dan Trent writes: Welcome once again to Dan's Nerdburgring corner... I was delighted to receive this picture in my inbox from Fredy Lienhard, a Swiss racing driver based out at the 'ring and part of Rent4Ring. Together with NurburgMotorsport, who we visited last month, they're building a fleet of track-prepped Suzuki Swifts you'll be able to rent and drive on the Nordschleife.
Fellow 'ring geeks will recognise this as the Karusell, the famous banked hairpin bend that ranks as one of the circuit's most dramatic features. But it's a fair hike through the forest to get there so not many people make the trip, despite the fact you can get some really dramatic pictures. So my thanks to Fredy!
Now it turns out Fredy and I have met before, in a manner of speaking. When I was there last month in the Lotus I recall overtaking a stickered up Swift out of the gate and thinking that would be the last I would see of him. How wrong I was. Not long after my mirrors were full of Suzuki and, shaking my head in disbelief, I watched as the Swift came past me as if I were stationary. On three wheels, fully sideways and ricocheting off the kerbs as he went it was an amazing display of car handling skill and exuberance and I did my best to stick to his bumper for the rest of the lap and enjoy the show.
It was only when we met last week that we established our previous encounter and Fredy was clearly chuffed to have had an appreciative audience! When we spoke he was in the midst of trying to track down a replacement engine for a Corvette he's planning to race at next week's Nurburgring 24 hours. But if he can't get the 'vette running I'm sure he'd do OK in the Swift, going by what I witnessed! Dan Links:
15 maggio Don't get carried away with the options...Ian writes
Photos by Chris Pickering What do you think is a reasonable sum to pay for a well-specced Mercedes C220 CDI estate? I personally wouldn't want to part with any more than £30k unless I was getting the more powerful 3.0 V6 diesel.
But such is the way with press cars that manufacturers cram them full of extras to make them seem more attractive than they might normally be.
Like the C220 CDI estate we have on test at the moment. This thing normally costs £29,640, not too bad for a well built premium estate car, but with options fitted that price soars to £39,105. Now I don't know about you, but if I was spending £30k on a new car I wouldn't be happy if sat-nav (£2k), leather (£1,295) and an automatic gearbox (£1,125) wasn't standard. However, just like this Mercedes, manufacturers seem happy to charge you for everything bar the most basic set-up.
And you can bet that if you don't have these things on your premium exec car when you come to sell it, your car will be worth significantly less than an equivalent model with the kit. That's why I'll probably never buy a new car - or certainly not unless I was seriously minted.
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